Toloraia: CEC's Preliminary Results Do Not Reflect Georgian Citizens' Will

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"The environment during the pre-election period and the falsification schemes employed on election day, combined with unprecedented influence and violence affecting voters' will, lead us to conclude that the preliminary results published by the Central Election Commission do not reflect the true will of the citizens of Georgia," stated Londa Toloraia, head of the observation mission My Vote. She then discussed the violations observed by the monitors:

"The election day unfolded against a backdrop of serious and substantial violations. By the end of the day, it became clear that the various issues identified during the monitoring of the election process were part of a larger scheme aimed at altering the final outcome. A complex scheme of election fraud had evidently been developed, utilizing methods such as the disruption of the verification system, violations of marking procedures, and preventing observers from monitoring voter identification procedures.

In the first half of the day, voters were issued two or more ballots en masse. There were also instances where ballots were pre-marked for the ruling party. It became evident that, during the pre-election period, the confiscation of ID cards and numerous notices and media reports about so-called rental activities, along with the collection of personal data, were all aimed at facilitating this scheme. Such manipulations allowed for the acquisition of a decisive number of votes in favor of the ruling party, as reflected in the results published on the CEC website.

Unprecedented pressure was exerted on representatives of monitoring organizations throughout the day. There were physical attacks, verbal abuse, intimidation, and unwarranted expulsions from neighborhoods. In most cases, it was impossible to observe the voting process; in some instances, it was even necessary to evacuate observers from polling stations, with police also involved in the expulsion of observers. Consequently, this created an environment that made normal observation of the election process impossible.

Journalists were also victims of these attacks. The obstruction of journalists' professional activities at election stations served to prevent the exposure of the falsification schemes employed during the election process and to keep the public uninformed.

On voting day, there was a concentration of unauthorized individuals in and around polling stations, who were particularly aggressive toward both voters and observers. As has been the case in the past, the ruling party utilized criminal groups to intimidate and pressure voters.

Throughout the day, neither the election administration nor law enforcement agencies responded to the blatant violations of the law. It was evident that those involved in rigging the elections felt assured that, despite committing illegal and often criminal acts, they would not face consequences.

The ruling party executed an unprecedented mobilization of voters using vehicles, exerting significant pressure on them. Given that personal information about voters was collected during the pre-election period - often regarding their social or professional status - many voters were effectively manipulated.

Additionally, due to a lack of sufficient space and registrars at polling stations outside Georgia, a deliberate collapse of the voting process occurred. Voters were forced to stand in line for hours, and many were unable to cast their votes, thereby depriving our fellow citizens living abroad of their right to participate in the election.

As of 22:30, according to information received from observers, 347 reports were registered regarding the non-implementation of marking and voting without marking. There were also 89 notifications about violations of voting secrecy, 341 instances of unauthorized persons present in the area, and 96 cases of physical confrontations, threats, or violence. There were 163 instances of restrictions placed on the observation rights of My Vote observers.

A total of 244 complaints were filed, and 183 notes were entered into the record book regarding violations observed at polling stations.

In response to the joint statement from local monitoring organizations, the executive secretary of Georgian Dream, Mamuka Mdinara, stated, "Political parties and representatives of the NGO sector have gone against the constitutional arrangements for the third time - our predictions have literally come true, as they were preparing for October 27."

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